A Rethinking on the Benefits and Drawbacks of Common Antioxidants and a Proposal to Look for the Antioxidants in Allium Products as Ideal Agents: A Review

This review article on the beneficial uses of Allium antioxidants tries to give some answers to the recent doubts raised by Singh et al. (Ind J Clin Biochem 25(3):225–243, 2010) against the claim of some researchers that Antioxidants (AOs) are miraculous molecules. Many people still believe that vitamins like A, C and E are the only true AOs that play important role in the corrections of metabolic derangements in life style diseases and hence all their faults are attributed to the failures of AOs as a class. This is quite unfair as there are many other natural AOs that do equal or even better AO action than the vitamins. Such is the case with the Allium S-alkyl sulfoxide aminoacids and their breakdown products viz, the various poly sulfides and their oxides e.g. allicin and ajoene type compounds which trap electrons mainly. It is true that antioxidant vitamins and β-carotene a precursor of Vitamin A bring about problems as prooxidant or as agents that block some metabolic pathways and gene expression. Again the argument that AOs cannot improve the level of antioxidant enzymes like SOD, catalase and glutathione Px is also not universal. Actually allium AOs can even spare the use of antioxidant vitamins in the body and enhance the action of antioxidant enzymes and supply of ATP and other nutrients to the tissues as the former are good vasodialators and promoters of membrane permeability. The use of AOs should be selective and moderate. Allium AOs satisfy the role of ideal AOs based on many of their invivo and invitro actions reported by the author and others. Their metabolits can regenerate them and recycle them for a sufficient time in the body. They have non antioxidant effects also such as antiplatelet, fibrinolytic, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, antiageing actions etc. Plant derived AOs may be more beneficial and better tolerated in their partially purified forms rather than in their absolutely purified forms as the accompanying principles have some protective and regulatory effects in general. This and other aspects of allium AOs are discussed in the paper.     

Plasma TGF-β1, MMP-1 and MMP-3 Levels in Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) presenting clinically with upper abdominal pain, as well as exocrine and endocrine insufficiencies, is characterized by irreversible morphological and functional alterations in the pancreas. The objective of the present study is to investigate the plasma levels of transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1), matrix metalloproteinases MMP-1 (collagenase) and MMP-3 (stromelysin) in CP. A total of 71 CP patients and 100 control subjects were considered for the study. Plasma levels of TGF-β1, MMP-1 and MMP-3 were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in patients and control subjects. The plasma levels of TGF-β1 and MMP-1 were significantly elevated in patients compared to control group (*P = 0.0301, **P < 0.0001). However, there was no significant difference in the plasma levels of MMP-3 between patients and controls (P = 0.3756). The elevated levels of TGF-β1 and MMP-1 may influence the inflammatory reactions by enhancing the pancreatic stellate cell activation and deposition of extracellular matrix resulting in pancreatic fibrosis. Thus, the present study highlights the role of fibrogenic cytokine marker TGF-β1 and matrix metalloproteinases in the pathogenesis of CP.     

Relationship between serum interleukin-1beta levels and acute phase response proteins in patients with familial Mediterranean fever

Introduction:

The aim of this study was to investigate whether serum levels of interleukin-1β (IL–1β) has any possible correlation on inflammatory parameters such as C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and fibrinogen concentration in patients with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) patients during attack-free period.

Materials and methods:

The serum levels of IL-1β, as an indicator of cytokines status, and the acute phase response proteins, CRP, ESR and fibrinogen levels were evaluated in 35 attack-free patients with FMF and 25 healthy volunteers.

Results:

Serum IL-1β levels were significantly higher in patients with FMF than control subjects (P = 0.018). There was no statistically significant difference in the serum levels of ESR, CRP and fibrinogen between two groups (P = 0.181, P = 0.816, P = 0.686, respectively). There was a significant correlation between IL-1β and CRP (r = 0.513, P = 0.002) values of FMF group.

Conclusions:

In conclusion, our results confirm the presence of increased IL-1β levels in FMF patients during attack-free period. Serum IL-1β values seems to correlate with CRP levels. The elevation of IL-1β levels may be important in monitoring subclinical inflammation of attack free period in FMF patients.     

基于气象数据与AVHRR热红外数据的人工神经网络分类方法

利用 5 2个气象站观测的温度数据与同位置的AVHRR 1bCH3、CH4、CH5三个通道的热红外遥感数据进行网络训练,再用训练出来的规则,指导整个研究区范围内图像数据进行分类,取得了较好的效果     

论明喻和隐喻产生的先后顺序——一项以《诗经》为语料的认知研究

明喻和隐喻这两种修辞方式,在人类的认知历程上,其产生究竟孰先孰后?对《诗经》的研究发现,其中部分隐喻可能是经由明喻发展来的,但绝大部分隐喻可能直接来源于它们的一致式(非隐喻);在修辞上,有些隐喻和明喻连成一体,分别仅在“如”字的有无上,但大量隐喻则不宜、甚至无法用明喻的方式加以置换。研究进一步证实了人类思维的隐喻特点,也表明人类的隐喻思维虽在有些情况下需借助明确的类比意识,但很多时候则是隐性的和潜意识的。     

Die Anerkennung von wissenschaftlichen und künstlerischen Arbeiten nach § 85 UG

§ 85 UG erm?glicht die Ersetzung einer im Curriculum vorgeschriebenen wissenschaftlichen oder künstlerischen Arbeit durch eine sonstwo an einer anerkannten inl?ndischen oder ausl?ndischen postsekund?ren Bildungseinrichtung positiv beurteilte Arbeit im Wege der Anerkennung. Ma?gebliches Kriterium hiefür ist die Gleichwertigkeit zwischen "ausw?rtiger" und "heimischer" Arbeit; die Anerkennung kann auch studienrichtungsübergreifend erfolgen. In dieser Weise "suppliert" werden k?nnen Diplom- oder Masterarbeiten sowie künstlerische Diplom- oder Masterarbeiten, nicht jedoch Bachelorarbeiten und Dissertationen. W?hrend dies für Bachelorarbeiten sachlich gerechtfertigt werden kann, erweist sich der Ausschluss von Dissertationen aus dem System des § 85 UG als gleichheitswidrig.     

基于Proteus仿真的蔬菜大棚控温系统的设计

利用单片机AT89C51系统,结合温度传感器DS18b20设计了室内温度控制系统的硬件电路和程序。并利用Proteus软件进行了整体模型的仿真,实现了温度自动控制、显示和高温报警．     

细胞色素b5稳定性的光谱学研究

利用圆二色光谱和荧光光谱法研究细胞色素b5蛋白在温度和酸度变化过程中蛋白质构象的情况。发现在升高温度和降低pH值的情况下,细胞色素b5蛋白的荧光吸收峰均有下降的趋势,表明色氨酸残基环境的极性增加而疏水性降低,细胞色素b5内部的疏水结构有所瓦解,构象发生改变。升高温度时,圆二色谱的谱图中α-helix含量下降,说明细胞色素b5的二级结构发生变化,稳定性降低。外部条件的改变,可使细胞色素b5的构象发生变化,分子内部极性增强,α-螺旋含量下降。     

Correlation analysis of gene polymorphisms and β-lactam allergy

A total of 64 patients with β-lactam allergy and 30 control subjects were enrolled in a case-control study. This study is aimed to analyze the relationship between β-lactam allergy and 10 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in interleukin-10 (IL-10), IL-13, IL-4Rα, high-affinity immunoglobulin E-receptor β chain (FcεRIβ), interferon γ receptor 2 (IFNGR2), and CYP3A4, and within the Han Chinese population of Northwest China. Genotyping for the SNPs was conducted using the Sequenom MassARRAY®platform. SPSS 17.0 was employed to analyze the statistical data and SHEsis was used to perform the haplotype reconstruction and analyze linkage disequilibrium of SNPs of IL-10 and IL-13. The results showed that the genotype distribution of CYP3A4 rs2242480/CT differed significantly between case and control groups of males (P=0.022; odds ratio (OR)=0.167, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.032–0.867). Further analysis showed that CCA, CCG, and TAA haplotypes of IL-10 had no significant correlation in patients with β-lactam allergy. The correlation between CCT and CAC haplotypes of IL-13 and β-lactam allergy needs to be further studied. The analysis did not reveal any differences in the distribution of others gene polymorphisms between cases and controls.     

基于B/S结构的工程项目管理系统框架研究

工程项目管理伴随着工程项目建设的全过程,由于项目类型多样化、投资主体多元化、管理程度复杂化等问题,原先的管理模式已跟不上时代发展,开发一款面向综合的通用性强的管理信息系统尤为重要。分析工程项目管理的过程,将系统分为投标管理、合同与风险管理、进度管理、质量管理、费用管理、资源管理、总结与收尾管理等模块,采用B/S三层体系结构开发,为工程项目管理系统的研发提供一定的借鉴意义。